I'm Not Your Pet!
by Violentkitsune
Summary: By mere chance, 17 year old Ichigo Kurosaki summons the hybrid General of the Thousand-Night March, Rukia Kuchiki to be his yokai familiar for one year! And the demon is more than pissed off - she's furious. Now ichigo has to watch out for more than just ghosts, as more supernatural beings come to covet the powerful demon under his command.
1. Chapter 1

The general of the Thousand-Night-March stood on guard as her regiment surrendered to slumber, their lanterns winking out one by one, save for a few. The thousand-year old yokai hybrid tore off her mask and settled down on the limb of her tree, perched on a mound not far from the regiments campsite. It had been a long day for Rukia, sister-in-law of the High Warlord Byakuya. The battle against the invaders from the south had ended in their favour, but at a steep price in her eyes. Her personal attendants were nestled in various sleeping positions beneath the tall redwood tree, its branches blocking the rays of the pale twin moons dining in a sea of stars. The demon fire burned a low crimson pink, spluttering sparks of silver and orange.

The hybrid pulled her red scarf higher around her neck, covering the lower half of her fair skin and rose pink lips. To anyone looking at her from afar without any prior knowledge of her, they would've seen a fair skinned beauty, with luminescent eyes that shone like violet skies after sundown. They would've assumed that the girl's furry white fox ears were detachable, not a part of her body. That the long silver tail that swung beneath her was a part of prop, made from faux fur instead of flesh and blood. The petite woman tightened the sash that was wrapped up around her waist, keeping a hold on her twin katana blades. Her legs stretched out along the bough, covered in tight-fitting black tights and long thigh-length leather boots, with strips of leather bound about to keep

A slight shudder beneath the weight of a person heralded her brother's lieutenant and her comrade Renji Abarai, a tengu demon from the mountains. The crimson-haired warrior leaned against the trunk on the branch beneath her, his black bandana fluttering lazily in the breeze.

"Give me the total count," Rukia whispered firmly, her voice as soft as a caress.

"We lost thirteen good men and women, General," the man said, looking out at the collection of men within their regiment. "Twenty-one have suffered extremely strenuous wounds that could possibly affect them for the rest of their lives. Our scouts have suffered heavy casualties and we are running low on supplies."

The hybrid looked at the tengu with narrowed eyes. "That's a third of our regiment that have suffered impact from the southern attacks." The woman exhaled a soft flurry of snowflakes from her lips, watching them drift away on a breeze. "Send a three-man team to Helsing Fort. Notify Lord Kyoraku that if we are to arrive on time and with the rest of us alive, we will need additional aid from him."

Renji nodded and rubbed his neck. "Things have taken a dark turn these days."

Rukia nodded. "All these attacks from the south, the death of Lady Hisana, his authority being questioned by his own advisors. Something is not right." She turned her purple demon eyes on her friends' brown ones. "Rest up Renji," she counseled. "I can't have my best man fighting like the dead on the battlefield."

He chuckled, low and smooth like the note of a cello that hung in the air. In a blur he leapt down from his twenty feet perch, landing with a soft thud on the forest floor. Rukia looked through the thick branches at the twin moons Scylla and Tairyn, casting their differing shades of silver and gold on the realm below. The kitsune-snow demon hybrid was tired and wanted nothing more than to earn a few moments worth of rest to stock up on her energy levels.

But that was not to be.

The moment she closed her eyes, a sharp prick began at the nape of her neck, until it became an unbearable burning sensation that ran along her right arm. The general snapped her eyes opened and looked down at the offending arm, before ripping down the sleeve of her haori jacket. Her eyes widened as she saw a mark that she had not seen for a near three hundred years.

The woman moved at high speed, flicking all seven tails into the open behind her whilst bearing pearl-white fangs that glowed in the night, her hair elongating till it flowed behind her like a silver-spun cape. Her eyes changed to pure ice-blue as she left a trail of flakes in her wake, moving towards the skies above. Only once did this ever happen in her lifetime, once did a witch ever dare to try summon a yokai of her calibre, and they had suffered a fate worse than death. Whoever it was that dared called upon had better pray they were of better substance than the last one that dared to conduct the ritual to manifest her among the mortals. She rose up above into the clouds, feeling the illusive pull towards the Sango Gate - the bridge between the realms.

She pulled down her hand over her face, manifesting a blue _oni _mask over her face. The general felt herself shift into her corporeal form as she bypassed the watchtowers that guarded the doorway, whisping through the doors until her presence had vanished from Helsing.

* * *

><p>Ichigo Kurosaki kicked the loose pebbles on the footpath, his held behind his head in a casual manner. The fourth year high school student huffed in exasperation, his annoyance at his classmates barely reaching breaking point. Keigo had set up a prank for Ichigo in the form of a stink bomb in science, but instead resulted in spilling flammable liquid during an experiment and setting off the sprinkler system in class. All of his hard work had gone to waste, and Keigo was left with nothing to do but plead and beg for the orange-haired teens forgiveness. After a quick beating Ichigo forgave his fool of a friend and left the matter at hand. The rest of his friends - Chad, Orihime, Tatsuki, and Mizuiro were quick to berate the brunnette for his stupid tricks as their own work had gone down the drain as well.<p>

_Che, stupid idiot,_ Ichigo thought

Ichigo walked along the winding footpath up the hill, the landscape barren of any man-made objects save for the lamp posts. Tall green trees swung their branches in the wind, their green adornments tossing and turning beneath the setting sun. A few high-school girls passed by on their bikes, giving him appreciative glances as they took in his tall, toned, handsome figure. The grey blazer was a bit loose on the arms, but the white shirt underneath pulled back against his taut chest and abdomen, the grey pants giving way to long legs that were full of power.

The young adult was unattuned to their attention, taking no notice of them as he carried on. He carried on up the hill till he came to a stop at a Shinto shrine. The place had been rundown by tie, looking nothing more than a shadow of its former self. Tangled vines and ivy crawled over the _torii_ gate, the bright red paint faded to a dull rusty brown and peeling off in thick chips along the beams. The whole site had a sort of dark foreboding feel to it, as if there was something that was trying to push people away.

Ichigo had a strong sense of curiosity for this place, waltzing down beneath the gateway up to the shrine. A few birds flapped away at the mere shadow of his figure, crying out into the sky. He pulled the strap of his bag over his shoulder and wandered aimlessly about the place, looking through the shattered frames of the windows, seeing glimpses of rooms within.

Ichigo came round to the backyard that oversaw a garden overwhelmed by mother nature. Twin japanese statues seated at the entrance of the garden were fractured and adorned with dead honeysuckle, marble chunks split about the place. He picked up one decapitated paw and tossed it about in his hand, his mind on other manners. Two weeks after tomorrow would be the anniversary of his mother's death, and his whole family would be heading off to visit her grave. Ichigo couldn't help but feel heartsick. Even after all these years he missed her warm loving arms, her bright smile that lit up the whole room. She was the centre of his universe, right up there with his old man and his twin sisters.

The temperature dropped a few degrees and Ichigo pulled his blazer closed, buttoning up a few buttons. He was about to turn when a faint red light emanated from the thicket of trees in the far corner. A faint chorus of voices drifted on the wind towards Ichigo, fanning the flames of curiosity. he slowly gravitated to the grove, taking note to be cautious.

The teen looked from behind a bush as he witnessed three figures standing in a circle. Two were the girls that had passed Ichigo earlier on while the other was a man wearing a mask to cover the lower half of his face. He had light purple hair and wore a red haori that hung loose on his shoulders. In the centre, red light pulsed brightly from a drawn circle in the centre, throwing shadows about behind them in distorted shapes that moved and thrived. Ichigo made a move to go closer until he saw the dagger appear in the hands of the man with the haori. The girls chanted louder while the man began to recite an incantation of sorts.

What the hell am I gonna do, Ichigo thought. He should turn around and call the police, that's what his conscience thought.

One of the girls turned her head up as if to sniff the air and spun around. staring down Ichigo from her position. She wore a sardonic smile and flicked her chin up.

Ichigo was shocked out of his stupor and spun about, only to come to face with the girl behind him. Her school uniform clung to her figure in an ill-fitting manner, her bright pink bra showing beneath.

"What a delicious specimen we have here_,"_ she hissed. Her tongue flicked out momentarily and her eyes glowed like yellow beams.

_Demon_, Ichigo thought. He let his bag fly at her and attempted to swing his fist in her face. She reappeared from behind and kicked him between the shoulder blades, forcing him to fly forward into the dirt. She reappeared beside him and kicked him on his side, smiling down with silver fangs.

"I haven't had eaten a human in a while," she said conversationally. Her cohorts reappeared beside her and stared down at the teenage boy. "Can we eat him master?"

The purple-haired man sneered beneath his mask at the boy who'd disrupted his ritual. he was on the verge of summoning a powerful yokai to add to his collection, and the mere presence of this boy had thrown everything off. He kicked the boy in his face three times to relieve himself off his anger, the boy helpless to do anything back in kind.

"You complete imbecile!" he said raved. "Who do you think you're playing with?"

Ichigo coughed, splatters of blood falling onto a broken mosaic piece beneath the dirt. "What the hell are you doing working with demons?"

Hanza arched one eyebrow. This boy had the gift of sight, enabling him to see the supernatural. If he hadn't interfered perhaps he could have spared the boy for his incompetence. Be that as it may, the boy had to be removed from existence. By all counts this boy was a mundane, and he would have no witnesses alive to recall what had occurred.

"Eat him," he ordered his demon familiars.

The girls smirked and wrinkled their eyes. Ichigo recoiled back in horror as their faces morphed, their skin stretching over their faces until it ripped apart, showing black leathery flesh beneath. Both blonde and brunette hulked over their legs until their bones snapped out at every odd angle imaginable.

"Dinner time!" The ragged brunette rasped sweetly.

Ichigo grabbed a nearby chunk of marble and prepared himself for their oncoming attack. The blonde rushed forward and widened her jaws, allowing him to stare into her gaping mouth that smelt of blood and charcoal. He readied himself, promising that he would not go down without taking a demon with him.

Just as she was about to ensnare her talons around his neck, the demon was struck, a pure white blade protruding from her chest. The yokai snarled and spun about only to drop and its knees while its head rolled off beside Ichigo.

Ichigo scrambled up in fright and backed himself up against a tree as he looked at the personage that appeared before him. The figure's back was turned to the orange-haired boy, displaying long silver hair that flowed in streams. Seven powerful tails flicked in such hypnotic fashion, caging Ichigo's intense curiosity. His hand began to go cold as if it were submerged in ice and he quickly rolled up his sleeve. A lilac mark began to rise to the surface and decorate the whole diameter of his wrist with archaic designs, ending with a fox head on the inside of his wrist.

_What the hell is going on?_ He thought.

The figure before him walked slowly to the other yokai, who had slumped to the ground in a bowed position.

"General please - spare me! Please!" the brunette horror shouted, her skin peeling off like dried flakes. "I did not mean-

"You disturbed me," a cold, female voice whispered into the air. A fierce wind swept the leaves and dirt off the ground until it surrounded them all. Hanza backed away in fright as he looked at the sheer amount of power which had manifested before him. _Maybe the ritual had gone right after all_, he thought to himself. He bit back his cowardliness and stepped towards the yokai demon.

"You are subjected to my will, yokai," he ordered, his eyes glowing alight as he raised his hands up, his fingertips glowing alight.. "I have summoned you-

"A pathetic being such as yourself attempted to summon _me_?" the being asked amusedly. She gave a low chuckle and advanced towards the cowering demon. "I guess that means I know whom to slay then."

The witch looked on in confusion before he felt his body grow stiff. A dense weight crushed him from above, forcing him down onto his knees. Ichigo watched from his position as the demon familiar who'd been crying out still herself, her eye widening in fear and disbelief.

"My lady please, don't kill-"

The silver figure held out her katana as the head of the demon rolled off, the blackened tongue poking out from the rip in her cheek.

"Worthless creature," she said calmly. "Should have known better than to bind herself with a human."

The figure turned on the side, allowing Ichigo to see her side profile. The petite figure wore a blue _kabuki_ fox mask, crafted with immense detail and adorned with impeccable design. The female had slight curves to her shape. The witchling was bowed before the yokai, incapable of moving from his position. She bent down and held his chin with one perfect slender hand, her nails long and polished. "Do you know who I am?" Her voice teased sadistically.

Hanza shuddered, his eyes widening.

"I am the phantom that haunts your every step, the shadow that creeps within your very soul. I am the prodigy of fear, the apprentice of war and nightmare," she said subtly, caressing his face. "I am the beast of legends, I am that which you cannot possibly fathom. My power is at a rank which is unattainable for all things, and you think you can summon me? That you can wield the will of the General of the Night March?"

Hanza began to shake violently, a cold hand taking hold of his heart within him. His breath began to rise about them as a fog and his eyes darted about him. The yokai placed one hand beneath his jawline and grasped it firmly.

"A warning for you, mortal" she said huskily to the figure. "Hell is no place for the weak." In one swift movement she twisted the head on a sharp angle, the sound of bone cracking echoing in the air. Ichigo's heart thumped aloud in his chest, his blood pumping in his ears. He couldn't believe it - his eyes _had_ to be deceiving him. The looked at her fingers, seeing the bloodstains where her nails had pierced beneath his skin. With a slow, tantalizing motion, she licked the blood off one by one.

"Tastes like rotting tomatoes," she said repulsively, flicking any of the remains of her nails. The finger spun around to face Ichigo, and his heart leapt. Bright blue eyes glowed behind the mask, drilling holes within his face. He backed up even further until he was up on his feet, leaning against the tree for support. The demon placed one slender finger on her mask and tsked.

"What to do with you?"

* * *

><p>Rukia had to say it - for a mortal he looked pretty tempting. And not just by his soul alone, she meant everything about him. He had quite a noble sense about him and his body held a certain . . . well, appeal to her. He was quite fit and seemed to be at the peak of his health, basking in the glories of his youth. Tall, a physical anatomy worth admiring, amber-gold eyes that glowed dimly in the twilight hours, reminiscent of the tiger demons that prowled about within her world. And that hair; bright orange, a far more vibrant and radiant colour than Renji's deep red locks.<p>

She glided towards the stunned mortal, listening to his heart race throughout the air. Each breath he made was shallow, laboured as fear took hold of his heart. It was pleasurable, in a sick perverse way - to know that being in mere proximity of her could inspire such terror. But she wasn't quite sadistic as the rest of the demons in Helsing.

Upon standing in front of the boy, she tilted her head on an angle in confusion. Something was off about this boy. Throughout that entire time, he'd seem to be familiar with the demons, as if he'd come across them in his early day life. He had been prepared to take down a low-classed demon with him, a quality which she found foolish but commendable. It was only when she began to take the lives of those weaklings that he really began to panic. Her eyes radiated briefly as she looked to see if his soul had been marked by a Coven, placing him under the protection and tutelage of any known witch covens within the zone. His spirit was clean of any markings, burning a bright and glorious gold.

_Perhaps I could eat him_, she pondered.

The boy glared down at her, overcoming his moment of panic and waited.

"Well?" he huffed, his breath curling like phantom fingers. "Aren't you going to finish me off?"

Rukia chuckled, her voice ringing out like bells. "Quite the provoker, aren't you? I'm actually quite tempted to just let you walk away and carry on with your pathetic existence."

She let her eyes wander down his form until her eyes rested on the markings on his wrist. Her eyes narrowed and she swiped away her mask into mist, feeling her hair revert back to its short locks. Rukia ignored the sharp intake of breath the mortal took and snatched his hand up. Her eyes widened and flickered between ice and violet. Her tolerance level broke and she let forth a blast of _reiatsu_, icing over everything around her. Her eyes danced between the boy's face and her insignia embedded in his skin.

"_How did you do this?_" She hissed, snapping one hand around his throat. The boy looked down at her with wide eyes.

"What makes you think I know about this crap?" He yelled back, trying to wriggle himself out of her grip. Despite her short five-two height, she could still bring those taller her down to their knees. "I don't know what this crap is! It just showed up you stupid yokai!"

Rukia ripped her hand away and scoured the ground, her anger radiating off her in waves of wrath. She came to a stop at a patterned mosaic piece, that glowed dimly in her presence.

"A calling card," she spat, picking up the fractured pieces. The _Kalesei_ emitted pale blue lights from the archaic designs, serving as a reminder that she was now the property of some stupid hormonal male.

Her ears pricked up and she whisked herself out of the way as a brick landed where she'd just been crouching moments before. The orange-haired boy wore a fierce expression on his face and he twisted his hands around a dagger that he'd picked up from the witches body. Rukia snarled as she watched him try to come up against her. He had no hope at all of defeating her. She lived through far too many battles for her taste. He sliced the air in front of her, attempting to slash her skin. She dodged each attack with the complete ease and grace that she was born into, twisting her legs around his and slamming him down onto the ground.

The teen attempted to fight her off as she straddled his hips, until she pinned both hands above his head, her own hand grasped around his throat.

"Move again," she snarled, bearing her canines down and laying her ears back. "I'm pissed off enough as it is, so go ahead boy - make. A. _Move_."

The boy stilled, keeping his eyes on her sharpened teeth. Rukia gripped the hand with the marking and held it up in front of his face. "See this?" She snapped, jerking his hand with surprising force. "Cover it up, disguise it, find something to keep people from seeing it."

"Why?" He replied daringly. This boy was beginning to test her boundaries again.

"Because more of those-" she jerked back towards the corpses behind her, "- will come after you from now on. You've just earned yourself a bloody Familiar, a powerful one at that, and now you've just painted a big red target on your ass by setting off my _kalesei_."

She leapt off him and swept her hand over the witches body. His corpse began to freeze over till it seemed to be made out of glass, before she clenched her fist tight. The corpse shattered into a million fractures, spilling about into the surrounding area.

The hybrid looked down on the boy who was still in his position, his eyes fixated on her with weary and . . . curiosity?

_What a strange mortal?_ "Either way, I saved your ass so you owe me." She said pointedly. "And if you want to survive, then do what I say."

With that, she flew up into the air, leaving behind her signature trail of wind and snow high above the clouds.


	2. Chapter 2

_Crap!_ This was wrong; this was all going wrong. Rukia paced back and forth along her tree branch. She'd arrived in the early hours of morning back in Helsing, her temper keeping her body wide awake. As the twin moons dipped low beneath the horizon to give the dark sun Coszmi dominion of the skies, Rukia rolled her shoulders back. She pulled out the _kalesei_ stone, the lumps merged back together. Blood splatters glowed on the smooth surface, serving as a reminder that she was no longer a free demon. Her tails twitched in aggravation at this thought as she stowed the rock away within her tunic. Sooner or later, someone would stumble across the mundane and discover the Claim he had. It would only be a matter of time before something came into possession of this stone and figured out who the Claim was.

_What to do, what to do, what to do . . ._

The general held her hand open, manifesting a flickering blue flame in her open palm. The foxfire swayed in the still air and hummed a low note.

"I have a message for the Half-Breed," she whispered lowly. "I need his help."

* * *

><p>"Oi Ichigo - pass the ball already!"<p>

Ichigo shook himself from his moment of stupor, and looked at the soccer ball that rolled over to his feet. He stood up from the bench and kicked it across the field where his sister Karin ricocheted it back into the goalie's face. While her team were practising for the upcoming soccer tournament, Ichigo was busy going through his notes for the chemistry he had on the next morning. But his mind was a jumble; he couldn't stop thinking about his experience at the Shinto shrine with the yokai.

And her.

He clenched his fists even tighter and turned the music up louder on his ipod, plugging both ears in. When she pulled off her mask, he'd been more than enthralled by her enchanting face. Eyes that were mesmeric like alexandrite stones, shifting in vibrant hues in the dark. Ichigo couldn't help an involuntary shiver that coursed through as he remembered her hands making contact with his flushed skin, her voice sweep across him. Her voice was unearthly, ethereal in its own rights. She was a celestial beauty that housed a dark being from the depths of hell.

"dammit!" he hissed. he looked down at the leather cuff he had purchased, concealing the marks around his wrist. For the past few days he'd been on edge, double-checking his every move. Since the warning that yokai had given him, he'd been cautious of every person he meet. The yokai had been in a state of near-frenzy when she made her proclamation, and he wasn't one to doubt someone who made those kind of claims, even if it was a damned creature from hell.

He still didn't know a damn thing about this mark around his wrist though. He'd gone to library to research about it, rummaged through every book in the supernatural section. And what did he find?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

A set of footsteps heralded the arrival of a man. Ichigo looked at his appearance; he had a somewhat scruffy image, with black rolled up jeans, white shirt, and green cutaway coat. He wore sandals on his feet and had ragged pale blonde hair that peeked out from beneath his black and white striped bucket hat. Ichigo's first impression - weird. To top it all off, he had black umbrella propped up behind him.

The man looked across at Ichigo with a bemused expression. "Nice day isn't it?" he asked conversationally. Ichigo shrugged out of politeness. The man continued to smirk in a sly manner, whisking out a fan from the folds of his jacket to air himself. "I myself am having a fantastic day today," he continued. "sales are going quite good down at my store, almost ran out of stock too."

Ichigo nodded absentmindedly, not really giving a care about the guy. He looked back at his sister and her team full of boys, all who were cringing at the bellowing that erupted from her. While the team packed their gears and began to make the journey back to their homes, Ichigo slowly started putting his books back into his bag. The man was lolled about on the bench, his smirk still apparent upon his face. Ichigo gave a stiff nod to the guy, and got up off the seat, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"How long do you think you'll survive?"

Ichigo froze. "Excuse me?"

The blonde-haired man looked over at him and closed his fan flat against his palm. "I said, how long do you think you'll survive for?"

Ichigo's fear heightened his senses and he fumbled about with the phone in his pocket. "What are you talking about?" he tried to bluff.

The man stood up, barely three inches taller than Ichigo's own figure. He walked towards him with a slow gait until he stood toe-to-toe with the teenager. He glanced down at the cuff on his hand. Ichigo's hands betrayed him and he moved it behind him. "I'll bet you'll only last about thirty seconds if you were to come up against a low-class. Maybe less."

Ichigo clenched his jaw, preparing himself to defend himself if it comes to that. "I still don't know what you're talking about," he spat out stubbornly. He made a move to leave when the guy held out his fan to hold him place.

"Don't try my patience boy," he warned, a slight glint in his eyes.

Ichigo pushed against his hand. In turn the man maneouvered it until he held his hand in a wristlock. Eyes open wide, Ichigo slipped out of the hold and power-kicked the man in the stomach. The man flipped away from him and landed lightly on his feet a few metres away twirling his umbrella around his thumb.

"Not bad," he commended, snapping it shut and stowing away his fan. "But not good enough."

With incredible speed the man came up to Ichigo and jabbed him in between the ribs, issuing a yelp from the teenage who stumble back. Ichigo barely had time to block the roundhouse kick that came to his head, feeling an insurmountable amount of strength rattle his bones. _What the hell is this guy?_ He wondered. _Is he like that witch dude back at the shrine?_ He blocked the guy's attack, wondering where the hell is everyone. Surely some stranger would be walking past and see that he was being assaulted by someone in public. Surely someone would have called the police.

The guy moved in to drive an elbow into his face. Ichigo reacted by ducking low and delivering a swift punch to the guy's stomach, following it up with a knee to the groin. For a moment Ichigo thought he had the upper hand until he heard the guy snigger below.

"Need more than that kid," he stated as he headbutted ichigo in the stomach pointblank and whacked the handle of his umbrella up under his chin. The orange-haired boy flew backwards and thumped his head back into the grass of the soccer pitch.

The man came up to his feet and angled the tip of the umbrella beneath his jugular. "If you can't even defeat a beat-up guy like me in simple hand-to-hand combat, then how do you expect to defend yourself against all those demons and witches that come after you?" He mused aloud. Ichigo grunted and yanked the umbrella out of the man's grasp and hooked it around his leg. To his astonishment the man flew up in the air in the form of a backflip, taking the umbrella with him. In a blur the umbrella was embedded into the dirt and the man was perched on top of the handle, one hand holding onto his hat atop his head.

"You've got a bit of spirit in you, I'll give ya that," he said. "But still - is that the best you can do?"

Ichigo's courage wavered as he pulled himself up on his elbows. This guy was deceptive in both his appearance and skills. "Wh-Who are you?"

The man smirked and looked down on him with a smug grin. He pulled it off and bowed low while balancing on the umbrella. "Kisuke Urahara - just another humble shopkeeper here to keep your ass out of the fire."

"That's enough teasing the mortal."

The teenager swung his head to the side and gazed open in shock as he saw the yokai woman from the other day come down the step. Her figure was adorned with a long teal green sweater that hung loose off her shoulders until it ended around her thighs. Her legs were encased in long black tights and killer boots that added three inches to her height. Her ears were hidden beneath a plum coloured fedora with cursive designs dancing along the trim.

"What the hell are you doing here _'demon_'?" he demanded, getting up off the ground.

The woman - whose name he still didn't know, raised one delicate eyebrow over the rim of her tinted glasses. She looked across at the man and pointed to him "Do you see my pain here?" she looked back at the scowling teenager and matched his expression with one of her own. "If you're going to be my Master, then I need to assess your survival and defense skills. If you can barely stand up to a shopkeeper whose armed with just an umbrella, then how do you think you'll fare against those armed with more powerful weapons?"

The teenager moved to retrieve his belongings, his scowl deepening even further. "I have no business with any of that cra- OW!" Ichigo was stunned into shock as the woman stamped the heel of her shoe onto his foot, forcing him to hop back and forth as he held onto the stinging body part. "What the hell was that for?" he yelled back.

"You're lack of respect is getting on my nerves," she huffed.

Urahara jumped off the umbrella and leaned against it for support. "I'm highly interested in how a mundane managed to summon a Higher yokai. From what I hear it's no easy feat, even for the strongest of witches."

Ichigo waved his hands in front. "I swear I have no idea what it is you're referring to when you talk about witches and crap. I know that demons and ghosts are real, but no way do witches exist."

The amethyst woman sighed and looked to her companion. "He's a Virgin."

Ichigo blushed at her words. "He-hell no I'm not!"

"I didn't mean it in a sexual sense," she huffed, whilst looking up and down the teenager's body with a growing smirk. "Although you might've lost that title years ago by the looks of it."

Ichigo blushed even more at words, wondering how the heck she had deduced that just by looking at him. Very few people knew that he'd lost his v-card a two years ago; even fewer knew that he was still sexually active as well.

"Ah, Lady Kuchiki. I think we should take this discussion to a more private location." Urahara said, swinging the umbrella around his hand. "If the pair of you would kindly follow me."

Ichigo stopped. Should he be going with these complete strangers, who on both occasions had made a threat on his life? He didn't know.

"What's it gonna be boy?" The woman looked at him and gestured after Urahara's moving form. "Are you going to take a leap of faith, or will you try out your own luck, mortal?"

Ichigo sighed. "I have a name, demon. It's Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki."

The demon's face blanked out, surprised by this voluntary piece of information that he'd offered to her. Her face seemed to soften just a fraction and her eyes sparkled slightly. "_He who protects_, huh?" She asked. Ichigo nodded, surprised that she wasn't mocking him about the double meaning that his name held. She pulled on her hat and meet his eyes. "I think it seems only fair that I tell you my own name as well. "

Ichigo tilted his face, his orange hair fluttering lazily in the breeze. "What is it, anyway."

She looked up at the noon sun, and her face relaxed into a serene expression. "Rukia."

* * *

><p>Urahara Shoten's was a typical convenience on the outside, with advertisements for the latest sales tacked up on the windows. Shelves were stocked to the brim with an assortment of sweets and foods lined up in their individual aisles.<p>

Kisuke's assistant manager Tessai was checking the till, handing over a customer's change along with her products in a bag. He had dark, brown skin with a thick moustache that curled slightly at the ends and a pair of black-framed glasses to hide his eyes. The tall wrestler-built man nodded to the boss as he waltzed in with his two companions.

"How's the business going today, Tessai?" He inquired genuinely.

"We're low on pre-packaged ramen dinner sets and pocky sticks," he answered solemnly, looking behind him at the two people that walked in. He nodded stiffly to the yokai general in a formal manner. "Lady Kuchiki."

"Tsukabishi-sensei," Rukia formerly addressed. "Nice to see you out of harm's way."

"Everyone is in harm's way, my Lady" Tessai replied fondly, losing the serious facade. "It just depends on the extent of the danger involved with the situation."

Urahara chuckled. No one could escape the charms of the Hybrid once they were in her proximity. One by one they fell beneath her gaze like willing subservient slaves, awaiting to do her bidding. Had he not been smitten by another femme fatale that existed in his life, he too would most likely be inclined to obey whatever needs she had. However she wasn't really his type - two small for his taste buds with a rather dangerous temper once riled up. He prefered a woman with a far more provocative attitude, one who liked to tease and be pleased.

"Mr Urahara, can you move out of the way please."

Urahara leapt to the side as the short pre-teen girl Ururu swept the aisles, fixing up everything on the shelves as she moves about. The dark-haired girl wore a light purple dress over black stockings and sandals, her ponytails shuddering as she gave a brief nod of acknowledgement to the group.

"Hold down the fort here Tessai," Urahara directed. "I'm gonna be down below."

Tessai nodded and gave way to the trio, who continued on through the backdoor out down a set of descending steps into a large room. The place was about the size of a gym, the walls lined with a collection of various books and artefacts. A glass chandelier swayed in the centre and flickered on at the arrival of Urahara, along with the multiple witchlight lamps embedded within the walls. Judging from the shock that the boy gave behind him, he knew that he'd succeeded in surprising him. The size of the place was large enough to encompass a training arena, an area to summon a creature, and of course a place of relaxation and freedom to entertain guests that came knocking upon his doors.

While the Hybrid lead the orange-haired boy over to the sofa set, Urahara popped his hand into the fridge and emerged with a bottle of sake, along with a thick leatherbound book filled with pages that crackled beneath one's fingers.

Urahara sat down in his seat and watched as the Hybrid tore off her hat, freeing her perky fox ears from their confinement, along with the long furry tail that swayed behind her legs. "Feeling better, your majesty?" He teased.

The hybrid royalty scowled and nestled herself in an armchair. "I have no desire to banter with you Urahara. Let's just get this over with, I have an army to attend to."

"I'm sorry- a what?" The boy interrupted. "An army?"

Urahara sighed and tossed the book down on the coffee table set up between them, flicking through the book with one hand while taking a swig from a bottle. "The woman beside you is no mere yokai, boy-"

"Ichigo."

"-Ichigo. Nice name by the way 'Strawberry'.

"It means '_he who protects_'!"

"Tamato, tomato. Anyways, Rukia-sama here is a Higher Yokai, a demon of high-class in the supernatural world. A yokai of high calibre is hard to summon at all, and very rarely will they have a kalesei stone made for them."

"Now a kalesei stone is a summon, a call card if you will. It a one-time usage, specific to only one yokai. It requires blood sacrifice to activate it. along with the single pure intent that is desired by the summoner." Urahara leaned over his knees and looked questionably at Ichigo. "Give me a recount of everything that happened the other day. I want to know the exact details, starting from beginning to end.

The boy scratched his head and began to narrate his tale, starting from his walk up past the shrine to the point where Rukia had disappeared from sight. Urahara took a mental note to seek out the site later in order to deduce the reasons behind why someone would conduct a ritual at an abandoned area. Typically Witches would conduct their rituals at their temples, unless they were babbling about with black magic. When he came to the part about the blood splatter, he held his hand up to pause his speech.

"And therein, my dear Rukia-sama, is how you've come to be here." Urahara stated. "By mere chance this boy came to stumble upon a broken _Kalesei_, and by some form of dumb luck managed to spill blood on it. Congratulations you two - you're officially bound for the traditional period of one year."

Rukia swore in _helltongue_ while Ichigo muttered the words 'fan-fricking-tastic' beneath his breath, cracking his knuckles as he did so. Urahara had to admit that he was surprised by the unlikely pairing before him; a mundane who didn't even know how far the supernatural world expanded upon, and an underworld princess who had spent centuries fighting in wars that would never reach the ears of mankind.

"I still don't understand the point where witches come into play," Ichigo said dumbly.

Rukia paced behind them, swinging her tail back and forth. "I'm sure you've come across mentionings of witches or wizards within your folklores. Witches are practitioners of the magic arts, with the ability to exercise control over the manipulation of divine elements, in particular an energy known as _reiatsu._ They're are handful of people that are aware of _reiatsu_ and can knowingly use this energy to do their bidding. These range from casting the most obscure of spells, to merely using it to enhance your natural skills."

Ichigo seemed to have caught the gist of it and nodded. Until he looked at Urahara. "I get the yokai, I get the corpse from the other day, but I don't get you."

Urahara smiled. "Well you've just gone ahead and hurt my feelings, now."

"Look - she's a yokai, the guy from the other day was a demon, i'm a bloody virg-_mundane-" _he rephrased, feeling pissed at himself for almost calling himself that. "But what are you? A fairy?"

"If I was a fairy, boy, then I would still my fabulous sexy, charitable self. Only more alluring." Rukia gagged at the shopkeepers words, which Urahara graciously chose to ignore. "But no, I'm none of the above. I'm simply a caring shopkeeper who will do anything and everything to please those who come to me for my services."

The hybrid's tail twitched as she stood to attention. Her ears pricked to the sides and for a brief moment her eyes glittered to their ice-cold self. After a moment of stillness she unfroze and began to make her way to the end of the room.

"Urahara, you make sure he gets home with all his limbs in tact," she commanded the blonde-haired man. "I need to get back to Helsing; the battlefront's starting to look too messy for my liking. "

"Oi, I'm not a child you old hag!" Ichigo yelled after her, getting up to look at her retreating figure.

"You are beside me boy!" She snarled back, vanishing up the staircase down the corridor.

Urahara chuckled and took another swig from his drink. "Take it easy kid, she's just venting out all her anger. Unlike you, she has more to lose within your guys situation."

"How so?" he mused.

"Well, when you Claim a yokai as your familiar, they're bound to serve you for one year. Anything you want they must do anything to achieve it, even if it is against their will. Witchfolk tend to go for the medium-level familiars, since they're easier to control and have a wider range of powers. However, having a Higher Demon as your own familiar - now that's a scandal in the supernatural world. And that's an absolute kick in the face for Rukia-sama. But beside her reputation being at stake, there is something else you need to be aware of."

Urahara dropped the bottle on the table and hunched over his knees with his hands clasped. "See Ichigo, in the yokai world, there is a hierarchy system in play, with five Dignitary bloodlines dominating the world below. Of the five, there is the Crown Jewel of Hades, the reigning bloodline of the yokai world. The current leader of that household is Rukia's brother-in-law, Byakuya Kuchiki, Kitsune Warlord. As a member of his clan, Rukia-sama is entitled to the Crown, and is currently holding a high ranking position as the General of the Thousand-Night March army; a pack of malicious, bloodthirsty demons who are irrevocably loyal to the house. However, just as Rukia-sama is a powerful player on the board, she is also the link in the armour that can bring down his empire. Should she die, his armies will fall with her, along with the only chance of continuing his bloodline. With her being Claimed, that not only makes you a target for all those who are envious of the power you have, but it also exposes her to her enemies."

The blonde-haired man stood up and moved to the shelves, running his fingers along the bookshelves. "Since you managed to Claim a yokai, that means some part of you, no matter how small or large that portion is - is part magic. Which means that you're gonna need to get schooled up on the rest of the supernatural world. Tell me, you said you knew about ghosts and yokai - how did you come across that?"

The teen paused before his eyebrows knitted together in stress. "An accident when I was ten. After that, I started seeing people that had passed away a while ago hanging about the same place every day, never really venturing any further. It wasn't until I saw objects actually move through them that i realised they were spirits."

Urahara nodded. "Near-death experience?" he asked aloud. The boy grunted in reply. "Those things do that to you kid. Leave you with more than just traumatic scars on your mind." Urahara paused as he reminisced over a few painful memories that he wished he could dispose of. He shook himself out of his stupor and began to pull off a few books from the shelf. He turned them around and tossed them to the boy, who caught them all wearing a confused expression.

"Do a bit of reading, Ichigo," he said. "You're gonna need to be schooled up on more than just chemistry and maths if you wanna survive. And come back to me when you feel you have a bit more understanding of the supernatural world."

* * *

><p><strong>Just a bit of housekeeping for you guys:<strong>

**Ichigo is still at High school and is 17 going on 18 in this story. **

**Half-Breeds: Half-human, half yokai**

**Kalesei - greek word for summon**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the long wait guys - I've been a bit caught up with a few things at school, what with my exams coming up and future university applications to fill out. Anyhoo, here's the next chapter, and don't hesitate to give me any ideas for future chapters, or stories.**

**- Violentkitsune**

* * *

><p>Rukia swept up her katana beneath the jugular of an ogre, watching with disgust as it's lips drooled blood over her arms. She kicked off the carcass and moved along to the next opponent, watching out for any other creatures that dared to come her way. Her regiment were holding up well, bearing down on the troop of soldiers that had made their way towards their camp. Howls rang out in the air as her army drove the invading force down into the river of Andraste, where even the water bleeds red beneath the Sun of Coszmi.<p>

A vile serpent yokai slithered its way between a pair of fighters and hissed at the Hybrid General, it's forked tongue flicking out over it's fangs. The silver-haired hybrid sneered behind her mask as she looked down on the creature with utter bloodlust. The viper snapped its jaws at her and lunged forward, its talons extending out until they were longer than a nihonto. She quickly brought her blades to block the attack and pushed forward with all her weight. one of her tails to grasp hold of her sword, she brought down her fist on the creatures deformed face and yelled out her command.

"_Hakuren!"_ A blast of pure white ice froze the creature solid and began to crack throughout its entire body until it shattered on to the blood-stained grass below. Rukia motioned for the shards to rise up and sent them hurtling into various points of weakness within other opponents who dared to harm her soldiers. Her underlings nodded their respect to the Hybrid and continued on forward, slashing at the beasts that continued to pour on them.

"Oi! Rukia!" Renji lunged towards the Hybrid, and landed in a crouch, batting his large crow wings at anyone within his proximity. He pulled down the silver crow beak mask and stared at Rukia with blood-red eyes. "The enemy soldiers are starting to retreat to the mouth of the river Andraste."

Rukia narrowed her eyes and surveyed the battle-scene before her. Indeed the opposition were beginning to withdraw themselves and made haste through the rushing waters back to the west end of the river, sending back rueful glances at her soldiers. As the last of her men dispersed of the rest of the remaining yokai who had been left behind, a battle-horn rang out through the air, signaling another victory for them. The remains of her regiment began to mount the dead remains into separate mounds, preparing to dispose of them to avoid spreading more diseases throughout the realm. From her spot up top Rukia caught sight of a few soldiers under her command joining the dead, their tattered black and blue uniforms wavering in the breeze.

"Another four members gone," Rukia muttered beneath her mask, sheathing both swords within her outfit. "This is no coincidence. We've had one battle one after another the past week alone, waxing our numbers. at this rate we're to end up with a mere handful once we arrive at Helsing Fort. Do we have any idea whose soldiers those were?"

Renji shook, his wings furling back beneath his skin until there was no trace of anything that hinted at his heritage. He pulled his hair back up into a ponytail and tightened the bandana that partially covered the tattoos lining his eyebrows. "None of them bore any Insignia's of any other clans. So no, we have no knowledge of who's behind all this."

Rukia nodded and moved down the slope to join her warriors, giving brief nods to those who bowed in her presence. She stopped beside a young yokai healer, her eyes furrowed in agitation as she pressed her glowing hands against an injured comrade's wounds. The girl had lovely purple brown hair that was held back in a short ponytail, her armour lined with green emeralds along the shoulders.

"How bad is it?" Rukia inquired tentatively.

The girl bit her lips in a timid manner. "The Regiment has seen worse, your Highness. But I highly doubt will be able to continue if we're continuously rained upon in this manner."

"I fear that may be so, Hinamori-san," Rukia replied worriedly. Rukia gave her friend a comforting pat on her shoulder and continued to move through the ranks.

I want everyone to get as much rest as they can tonight," Rukia ordered Renji. "Tomorrow we set out for Fort Helsing, and there will be no stopping until we're in the city walls. I don't want to see another soldier die underneath my watch."

"Rukia, they all know the risks," Renji said, keeping pace with her. "Each and everyone of them knew that to cross over to the Southern Borders would be a suicide mission. And i'm sure not a single one of them regretted the decision they made."

She huffed. "But still . . ."

Renji clapped a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Cheer up Rukia. Don't be too glum about it."

A bright blue ball of light came sailing from the skies down towards the hybrid demon, pausing in front of her face. Rukia gave a curt nod to renji, who bowed and went back towards the group, calling out orders on her behalf. Rukia carried on further with the foxflame accompanying her.

_Lord Byakuya wishes to know the current situation,_ the flame spirit hissed.

"The Regiment are holding it up," Rukia said plainly. "The journey has taken us a bit longer than I'd estimated, but I gather that we'll be at Lord Kyoraku's in time for the Eclipse council."

_I will be sure to notify him of that,_ the flame replied, blue sparks sizzling away from its center. _Although that is not the true reason behind this message. He wishes to know where you were._

"I've been here-"

_Lord Byakuya felt your presence disappear,_ the flame interrupted. _He sent me to find out the reason behind it and report it back to him._

Rukia halted in her movements. Shit. If Byakuya had sensed her presence leaving, then that meant other enemies of the Crown could sense it as well. And it wouldn't be long before they started sending out hunting parties to the human realm to see if she been there.

_Damn that stupid boy,_ she thought. If he hadn't gone there that day then -

Then what? What would've happened?

Rukia clenched her fists tightly and dispersed her battle guise, facing towards the foxfire that levitated before her. If she was going to frequent the world of humans more often, then she would need to find some sort of excuse to keep her brother from sniffing out her troubles, as well as find something to cover her tracks.

"Send my brother my apologies for alarming him. I was merely hiding my presence in battle to surprise an opponent."

_Well see to it that it doesn't happen too often, or Lord Byakuya will have reason to suspect you are hiding something._

"Just deliver the damn message already! I have soldiers to attend to." Rukia swiped the foxflame in her hand and sent it sailing back to the skies, watching it fade away to nothing. she held her stance as she continued to watch the skies above. Her warriors needed their rest; they had a long day ahead of them tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Lord Byakuya stood still by the balcony, looking down across the Kuchiki fortress. The japanese-inspired fortress was daunting in its appearance, towering high over the grounds below. His ears snow white ears were perched forward on his head, with a long tail swaying gently behind him in a calm manner. He had both arms crossed, with the pale silver-blue kimono robe hanging off his shoulder, the Kuchiki crest emblazoned across the back of it.<p>

The Fox lord looked over at the portrait of his lately deceased wife, his heart cracking at the sight of painting, forever captured in the peak of her beauty. She was so much like his sister-in-law, sharing the same facial features and body build, with slight alterations. Where Rukia had curves, Hisana was slender and had a few extra inches of height to her name. Her kitsune bloodline was more dominant over her yuki-onna blood, and she had a dark indigo eyes in her normal form. Where Rukia was more ruthless, mercurial and cunning, Hisana was soft spoken, only ever raising her voice in situations that lacked control. She was a woman of few words, preferring to speak with her actions rather than her voice, yet the few times she did speak, she exuded more power than anyone else during the war councils. She was highly intelligent, providing strategies which could maximise the impact of their attacks on their opponents without causing too much damage on his own people.

Byakuya sighed and left his quarters, continuing down to the Banquet hall where his advisors waited for him. The demon flames flared a brief pale pink before dying down to their low crimson and gold. A stream of pale blue light followed behind him along the walls, leaving behind a trail of white light as it faded into darkness.

The banquet hall was vast, featuring a large skylight with engraved gold designs etched into the centre, inscribing the gold sakura tree with three white foxes connected around it head to tail. Directly beneath the skylight was a long banquet table, with multiple velvet seats placed along each side. At the head of the table were Byakuya's three advisors seated about in their rightful places. Knight of the Drakon legion, Toshiro Hitsugaya sat on the right, two seats from the head of the table. The drakon stared across at the warrior youkai Kenpachi Zaraki with shrewd eyes, as if the man was an escaped convict from a prison. Truth be told the man had a certain aura about him that seemed to instill fear in all those around. He gave off the impression that he would gladly flatten a city just for the sake of boredom rather than a structural purpose. His charge flitted about on his shoulder, smiling delightfully as her stray pink locks swayed around her face. Yachiru Kusajishi was a rather bothersome demon for Byakuya, causing chaos wherever she went. He was sure the beast's sole purpose in life was to drive him insane with her lunatic ravings about confectionary pleasures.

"Lord Byakuya," a man spoke soothingly. He had pale white hair falling over his shoulders and dark brown eyes that shifted to black in the changing light. His outfit consisted of a simple black tunic and a blue robe flowing behind him like water. Ukitake Jushiro, Master of the Asmodeus Valley, shifted in his seat to face the lord of the house. "You summoned us for a meeting."

"I did," Byakuya replied swiftly, snapping a finger. A servant beckoned from the shadows, unravelling a large map across the polished table. "Lord Aizen has called for a Truce Pact with one of the fighting Tengu villages under Stark's reign in the far South. His men have sent back an emissary to meet up with Aizen's representative at Naruki temple."

"That's good news," Ukitake said smoothly, wearing a slight comforting smile. "At least we don't have to spill any more unnecessary blood."

"That is true, but there is another matter at hand." He retold the tale that he'd received from his sister in regards to her regiment's journey to Fort Helsing. The foxflame had reported that more southerners had begun to openly rebel against the allies and people of the Kuchiki line.

"Hmm," the young Drakon Knight said. "The south are under the control of Coyote Stark of the House of Arrancar, and he has no qualms with the Crown family. Rather quite lazy in my opinion."

"He's good for entertainment," Kenpachi contributed sadistically, running his finger up the length of his blade. "Pretty strong fighter."

"Yet I cannot see him trying to take over the throne for himself." Toshiro finished, rubbing the back of his head in frustration. His demon glamour faulted momentarily, revealing his more demonic side before reappearing.

"Perhaps there is someone else stirring up trouble in the South," Ukitake contemplated.

"Perhaps," Byakuya said through closed eyes. "Until then though, we assume the worst."

"Although Aizen has sent his own ambassador to do dealings on our behalf, I would feel much safer if we had our own set of eyes to oversee the truce meeting as well," the young knight interjected. "I know that Aizen has proven his loyalties to your bloodline time and time again, but I'm still wary of his motives."

"I admire your need to be cautious young Knight, but I trust Aizen enough to maintain our goal in mind." Byakuya ran his finger along the map of the Underworld, dragging it along to where the Southern borders resided. _Rukia should be near Fort Helsing now_, he thought internally. With the shock of her presence disappearing from the realm, Byakuya felt a need to be more cautious of his sister-in-law. The last thing he needed was for her to end up in enemy hands, thereby nulling the promise he'd made with his late wife to keep her safe and alive.

"How's your sister?" Kenpachi asked mildly, clearly bored with the rate that this meeting was going. "She been keeping outta trouble?"

"From what I hear Kenpachi, she's been getting more action than you have the last few days," Ukitake said. The grown warrior huffed and sulked. Honestly, the youkai's life revolved around two things in the realm; his almost daughter-like lieutenant and the need to quench his sword's lust for blood.

"Enough dwelling on trivial manners now; we need to discuss our future plans for dispelling the rebel invasions in the western zones."


End file.
